REVIEW: Sparkling Ice Cuties Mandarin Sparkling Water (Video)

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Some of you might notice that my voice sounds a little different in this video. Well, it’s because when I did the voiceover for the video, half of my face was paralyzed. Actually, as I type this, it’s still paralyzed, thanks to Bell’s palsy. It’s nothing serious and I’m not in any pain. It’s just that the right side of my face won’t be cooperating with the left side for a while. But other than that and having to visit several stores to find a bag of Cuties, this was a fun video to make.

Purchased Price: $6.49
Size: 7.5 oz can/10 pack
Purchased at: Target
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 5 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 grams of carbohydrates, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Popeyes Chicken Dippers with new Signature Sauce

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Popeyes has probably come up with more ways to present fried chicken than the number of letters in Louisiana. There’s the Signature Fried Chicken, chicken wings, boneless chicken wings, chicken tenders, chicken nuggets, popcorn chicken, and several others I’ve missed. The latest addition is Chicken Dippers, which are thin strips of all-white breast meat that’s hand-battered and breaded with Popeyes’ signature Louisiana herbs and spices. It’s served with your choice of dipping sauce, but the chain wants you to try its new Signature Sauce.

When my order arrived in its sleeve, its presentation made me wonder if this was Popeyes’ attempt to offer a competitor to Burger King’s Chicken Fries. Some of the thin, long strips were curvy, while others were straight. The Chicken Dippers also somewhat remind me of the chain’s Rip’n Chicken (R.I.P.), but not rip’able.

Sans sauce, the breaded poultry has the same Popeyes flavor that we all know and love, and it’s tasty enough that I could eat these without dipping them into anything. Also, there was a good amount of Dippers in the sleeve. However, their crunch was underwhelming. Maybe mine were made wrong? There were crunchy moments, but I remember the chain’s tenders being more crunch-tastic.

However, I came away more impressed with Popeyes’ new Signature Sauce. According to the chain’s website, it’s “inspired by New Orleans food culture” and that it “packs a kick of heat, a hint of sweet, and our signature Cajun spices.” It’s like a concentration of what goes into the batter of Popeyes’ chicken. It amps up all those spices and makes these Chicken Dippers, which are already tasty, even tastier. And if you’re concerned about spiciness, the sauce has a little fire, although I’d consider it more of a smoldering.

Speaking of heat, unlike some of Popeyes’ other options, there isn’t a spicy version of this limited time offering.

Popeyes Chicken Dippers are just Popeyes chicken in a different format, but it’s a format that’s more shareable than the chain’s tenders. While I don’t think you’ll feel any FOMO with the thin chicken strips, the Signature Sauce is something you shouldn’t miss. Fortunately, it’s a permanent addition, so you’ll have plenty of time to try it, and you can do so with whatever fried chicken du jour Popeyes offers at the time.

Purchased Price: $5.99*
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Chicken Dippers), 10 out of 10 (Signature Sauce)
Nutrition Facts: 540 calories, 24 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 125 milligrams of cholesterol, 1950 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 33 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: Burger King BBQ Brisket Whopper

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Burger King’s new BBQ Brisket Whopper is very tasty. However, it’s not because of the tender, slow-cooked beef brisket that’s in it. While its addition makes the burger intriguing and heavier, that’s all it seems to do. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The newest limited time offering features a quarter-pound flame-grilled beef patty topped with beef brisket, American cheese, crispy onions, tomato, mayo, pickles, and a sweet and golden BBQ sauce. I thought the addition of the brisket would make this Whopper substantially pricier than recent limited time Whoppers, but it was roughly the same price, give or take a dime or two.

Because there wasn’t a significant price difference, I wasn’t overly upset about the brisket being there, but at the same time, not being there. You see, I’m not sure if the extra meat enhances the burger’s flavor, nor does it stand out. I know there was some brisket on my burger because it’s hard to miss the wet cat hair-looking blob, but it doesn’t add anything. Instead, I tasted a lot of the familiar Whopper flavors — the flame grilled patty, cheese, tomato, and pickles.

The barbecue sauce seems to do most of the heavy lifting to bring BBQ brisket to mind rather than the actual meat. I mostly taste a Whopper with a different barbecue sauce than previous BBQ Whoppers, but that tangy, sweet, and smoky condiment makes this worth trying. So much so that I probably would have enjoyed this even without the brisket. But it’s not just the sauce that makes this taste great; the tomato’s acidity, the pickle’s sour kick, and the American cheese all complement the barbecue sauce.

Another ingredient that gets lost is the crispy onions. They might not have been the best choice to include because the BBQ sauce made them sauce-logged, so there was no crispiness. Also, much like the brisket, their flavor isn’t noticeable. Instead, I wished it came with BK’s onion rings, which would have helped with the texture and taste.

I should also note that Burger King is offering a Whopper Jr. version of this, marking the first time the chain has rolled out a limited time Whopper in a smaller and more affordable size.

I don’t regret trying Burger King’s BBQ Brisket Whopper, but if you’re going into this thinking brisket, you’re going to be as brisk-appointed as much as you’re disappointed with me for using the word “brisk-appointed.”

Purchased Price: $10.19*
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 1010 calories, 65 grams of fat, 17 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 140 milligrams of cholesterol, 1810 milligrams of sodium, 70 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 19 grams of sugar, and 44 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Snack Wraps (2025)

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McDonald’s Snack Wraps are back! The overwhelming happiness this has brought to the masses could squeeze the purple life out of Grimace.

However, they aren’t the same Snack Wraps we all adored and occasionally wished for on social media when they were removed from the menu years ago. These 2025 Snack Wraps aren’t the Snack Wraps from 2006-2007 for two reasons — flavor and value.

The Snack Wrap reboot is available in two varieties: Ranch and Spicy. Both come with the relatively new McCrispy Strips, shredded lettuce, and shredded cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla. The chicken is decent tasting, but it’s not my pick in the chicken strip war that’s currently going on between all the fast food chains. Here’s what I wrote about them earlier this year:

The first thing that caught my eye about the McCrispy Strips was how McLong they were. They seemed more impressive than the previous McDonald’s offerings. Also impressive was how tender and juicy the meat was. However, I wish the “crispy golden brown breading” was crispier. There’s some texture, especially on the edges, but for the most part, I find the Chicken McNuggets to have a crispier exterior. That’s disappointing for something that seems more premium than chicken nuggets. As for its flavor, it has a light pepperiness that makes these okay enough to eat sans sauce…

Most of the chicken’s texture and flavor get lost in this mashup of lettuce, cheese, sauce, and tortilla. The cheese is surprisingly noticeable in some bites, and the tortilla’s taste stands out a bit too much, but it’s mostly a sauce show. While the Ranch one was my favorite with the original Snack Wraps, I prefer the Spicy one this time around, which uses the same sauce used with the Spicy McCrispy Sandwich and the Spicy Egg McMuffins. It brings a nice level of heat and pepperiness, which makes it more flavorful than the Ranch one. Now, the Ranch one is fine and perfect if you want to come closest to reliving those previous Snack Wrap days. But neither variety has me wanting wrap my arms around Grimace to bear hug him.

Now, on to value.

What I remember most about the 2000s version was how you could buy one with whatever coins you could scrounge under your car’s various floor mats, and if you had a parking meter feeder stash, you could get two of them. They were Snack Wraps with a snack-like price and had a value that stood out on the menu. That arguably was a major reason for their appeal. Maybe even more than their flavor, which I did enjoy.

Even though these do seem to be slightly more substantial than the original Snack Wrap and, of course, there’s inflation, these new ones at their advertised $2.99 price seem less of a value. (Note: I paid $3.99 on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.) Mainly because for a little bit more, I can get a $5 McChicken Meal Deal.

Perhaps if McDonald’s added a Snack Wrap as an option for its Meal Deal, I’d probably end up eating more of them. But knowing the Golden Arches, it’ll probably take away Meal Deals, and I’ll be wishing for it to come back on social media.

Purchased Price: $3.99 each
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Ranch – 390 calories, 22 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 900 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 17 grams of protein. Spicy – 380 calories, 21 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 920 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 17 grams of protein.

REVIEW: King Krumb Cookies

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At some point in the last year or so, Walmart decided that it needed to attract a more highbrow clientele. No longer content with simply being the place to get into a fistfight in the flip-flop aisle or play “see who can grab the last can of Great Value ravioli first” with an online shopper, it introduced its “Bettergoods” line, sophisticated fare for a more discerning palate. The line has seemingly been met with good accolades— for the most part, at least from what I’ve seen on the internet— and I can attest to the enjoyability of the “wood-fired” pizza offerings. (Seriously— all of them are surprisingly legit.)

And although the new King Krumb Cookies (all I can think about is how the Simpsons dealt with inadvisable alliteration specifically as it pertained to “Klassic” episodes of Krusty’s “Komedy” show) are not branded as Bettergoods, they are another attempt at self-improvement. I have seen it posited that the KKCs are Walmart’s attempt at luring in customers of Crumbl, a popular national cookie chain. And that may be, but here’s the thing: Crumbl is Crumbl for a reason. Their cookies are large, chewy, soft, and taste freshly made. There is an endless variety of inventive flavors to ensure that hardcore Crumblrs (I made that up) come back with each new fun release and/or seasonal return. The order size is customizable, from a single cookie to a 12-pack, ensuring that you can give yourself a treat or impress a small gathering (or, you know, get the 12-pack yourself and spend a weekend filling yourself with sugar and self-loathing).

On that same token, Walmart is Walmart for a reason, and its King Krumb’s are not Crumbl. They are big, and… well, that’s about where the comparison ends. There are three varieties, and they come in packs of two. For this review, I went with the two-pack featuring Decadent Chocolate Chunk (DCC) and Triple Chocolate Fudge (TCF) (The DCC is also paired with a Confetti Birthday Cake version.)

Upon my first bite of the DCC cookie, my first thought was Chips Ahoy because that’s exactly what it tasted like— a chewy Chips Ahoy. It was, put in the simplest possible way, a generic chocolate chip cookie. The TCF was a little better straight out of the box, set apart by a distinctly fudgy undertone. The box suggests wrapping them in a paper towel and microwaving for 20 seconds. Never one to disobey a box— and as a firm proponent of warm cookies— I did just this. And while it DID make each cookie considerably more enjoyable, it also turned them both into soggy, nearly impossible to eat messes. Even still, the improvement bump from microwaving did little to set them apart from any of Walmart’s other pre-packaged bakery cookies.

In the end, this feels like just another stretch in Walmart’s effort to make themselves something that they’re not. They’d be better served leaving big, warm cookies to the Insomnias and Crumbls of the world.

Purchased Price: $5.97
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: Decadent Chocolate Chunk 6 out of 10, Triple Chocolate Fudge 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3rd cookie) DCC – 220 calories, 11 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein, TCF – 220 calories, 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 2 gram of fiber, 19 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein

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